MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

[ximilian]

● ● ● M I S S I O N   4 . 2

INTRO • THE DREAM DEFERRED • YOUR WAKE UP CALL • FYI

// INTRO. WELFORD BRANSON  

It is barely past twilight in Scorpion’s Bend, the twin suns having just set, taking their light with them — but the moons delay, and so darkness lingers over the town as Lan Xichen’s conversation with one Welford Branson comes to an abrupt end. At the same time, all around the town, the team will notice the town natives around them stilling — some freezing in the middle of a sentence, a man with a fork in the air, a woman mid-step on the street, some youngsters with their mouths open in laughter. All of them become statues in less than a heartbeat; still, eyes vacant, like everything that made them seem alive has been taken away.

And then — a reverberating sigh, echoing heavily in the ears of all the Orbers. What follows are words, spoken by a chorusing voice now familiar to most of the team —

“Well now you’ve done it.”

The orb’s echoing sound is filled with disappointment, even annoyance.

Some may see that amidst all the frozen townspeople, an old man runs, clawing at his thinning hair. Some of you may hear his words, muttered, desperate:

“I don't understand, I thought 'twas just a bad dream, everyone was fine, don't understand, what in the name of the Eight could've done somethin' like this —”

The disbelieving mumbles trail at his wake, making it clear he does not know what is going on at all — in fact, you may have a better idea as to what has happened than he does. But as you turn to follow him, open your mouth to yell at him to stop... everything around you shatters.

The lights in the buildings grow dim and break; the smell of food disappears; the horses in the stables simply fade away. You notice that if you were wearing or carrying something you bought while here, it too disappears, your clothes turning to those you had on upon arrival, all equipment shimmering away slowly.

But perhaps most importantly… the frozen statues of people crumble into ash right in front of you. It may fill the floors of the now-silent, dusty and worn-down houses, or it may blow away with the harsh desert wind — whichever it is, sans the team, the town of Scorpion’s Bend is now devoid of people.

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// PART I.THE DREAM DEFERRED  

The town that now surrounds the team is very different from the one it used to be — the houses are quiet, filled with sand and dust; doors broken, tables turned over, drawers open and mostly empty, aside from anything not valuable. The beds in Thornbush Inn are ragged, insects of various sizes skittering along the floors. The Saloon is dusty, furniture broken, and a lone piano stands in the corner, half its keys having crumbled away. The door to the Mayor’s office is ajar, a banging sound repeating as it hits the wall in time with the wind.

1.0   In the corners of the Sheriff’s office, the school and the church, the embera slither along, searching for food; owl-shrews hide from the Orbers on the streets, while feathered coyotes howl at the five moons now lending their light to see the town’s destruction better. The team may be the only living humanoids, but they are not the only living beings in the town anymore; in the absence of people, animals have made the town their home. And coexist they must, now, to survive the rapidly dropping temperature of the night that has fallen upon them.

2.0   The next morning, as the moons disappear underneath the horizon and let the two suns bring out their scorching rays once more, the team wakes up to the reality of having to survive Scorpion’s Bend… with very little supplies. So search the empty houses, for they still stand; the fire that has burned away the people has not touched the buildings… but they have not been immune to the passing of time, or the harsh weather in the desert. You may find clothing, basic equipment, pots and pans left on a now-cold stove; but no valuables, no money, no gems, no jewelry, no weapons.

But amidst your search through the town, remember that what you need, first and foremost, is to find water and something to eat — it will not be long until the suns are high in the sky, and some of you are already in desperate need of proper nourishment, without being left to endure the scorching temperatures the days on the planet of Badrock bring.

3.0   But should you want to brave the heat, you’ll find it is now possible to leave the town and venture out into the desert. Out there, the rock dragons search for prey, while bald vultures circle above your head in groups of three or four, their shrieks growing in volume the farther you walk. If you show weakness, any weakness, they strike — and the dragons, sensing their chance, are not far behind.

And when you least expect it, the ground underneath you trembles, like a small earthquake is approaching you… and then you see it: from the sand, a whale surges up, then another, and another, arcing through the air like suspended there, before the sand swallows them once more. Should you get too close, you too may be swallowed underneath the sand; unless you’re very, very careful, or have in your arsenal something else that may help you to deal with these near-immortal giants that have swam across the deserts for hundreds of thousands of years.

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// PART II.YOUR WAKE UP CALL  

Time passes at a snail’s pace without the comforts of the town you were used to. Scorpion’s Bend is now a wasteland you must survive, and it clearly isn’t easy. Some of you might question whether retrieving the orb is still an endeavour worth pursuing after all of this, but the rest of you know that it is. That you’ve come this far and you’re nearly there; you just need to band together and form a gameplan.

As the suns begin to set over the horizon on yet another grueling day of scorching heat and rough, dry sand in the ghost town of Scorpion’s Bend, you might begin to hear a distant thunder that has nothing to do with an oncoming desert storm or otherwise. It rattles at the already weakened structures of the old Saloon and the General Store, bits of broken glass and debris vibrating with the raucous sound of clattering hooves, feet, and paws. And as the sound of the invasion grows louder – you’ll hear the unmistakable manic howling and bellowing in accompaniment: these are the Bouldersnakes that some of you have already heard much of.

4.0   The Bouldersnakes are not a group to be taken lightly, and have garnered the fearsome reputation that they now hold for a reason. Kicking up dust, they arrive like a cloud of chaos in different sizes, shapes, and forms. Some have the ability to shrink and grow in size to match their opponents in physical size and weight. Other Bouldersnakes are agile and quick; and others yet are superhumanly strong and robust – either way, they make for formidable opponents when you, yourself, have been weakened from weeks of a lack of proper nutrition and sleep. The individual members of the Bouldersnakes are like a band of bloodthirsty brothers: from all walks of life and all colours and creeds, with a severe and mean streak to them, who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

What goals, you ask? Should you listen carefully, their leader, riding a winged lizard-like creature, shouts to their underlings:

“Find it! This is where it told us to come to. We missed it last time, but no more! I don't care what we have to do, we're getting our hands on that thing!”

As it so happens, you are not the only crew in search of that elusive orb; the Bouldersnakes have been tracking down the whereabouts of this mysterious and all-powerful object themselves, burning through towns – quite literally – to get it. News that Scorpion’s Bend has seen a resurgence of life and might still be the resting place of the orb has the bandits seeking out the town again. Their first round through Scorpion's Bend about a year ago had them coming up empty-handed (save for a few bits and baubles), but this time they are determined to find what they've come here to find. Though if there’s anything left here to salvage... they’ll ransack as they please.

Whether you confront them head-on or they catch you in hiding, they won’t easily back down from a fight. It will be best to keep your distance if you can manage it, and hope that they’ll pass you by. But the Bouldersnakes have their weaknesses too: once maimed, they still bleed, and none of them are immortal, though they are notoriously difficult to kill based on their talents alone... and when they carry weapons, too, well — those not accustomed to battles may find it best to hide. And even for those with fighting experience under your belt, teaming up with your fellow Orbers and combining your shared skills will be your best chance at survival.

5.0   By the time the suns have disappeared and the moons have risen, the Bouldersnakes invasion will make the bandit attack from the other night seem like a childish tussle. The Bouldersnakes don’t play nice and have adapted to the harsh lands as ruthless survivors. They arrive like a wave, many equipped with weapons: guns, sabers, pistols and small knives. A few others have engineered their own specially crafted weapons made of metal and magic (in the shape of guns, blow-torches, and blades) that wield a special element harnessed from mined ore called ‘pulsefire’. It is this pulsefire, glowing a deep blue (like the hottest colour of flame), that has the capability to destroy all living beings and allows the bandits to systematically ravage unsuspecting towns down to ash, reap its benefits (either for the town’s riches and wealth, or and especially: for any supply of ore), and then leave without a trace.

The best way to fight against pulsefire is to acquire weapons of pulsefire of your own and best a Bouldersnake before they best you. (Think high stakes, noon-time duels of the pistol.) Of course, this is a very risky and very dangerous affair as one shot by pulsefire could mean your untimely demise and the element itself isn't easy to put out either, so it might be best to work in teams to strategically disarm and swipe a pulsefire weapon to use before they manage to overwhelm you.

NOTE:   If your character is alive, your character will be vulnerable to the effects of pulsefire. Unliving things such as buildings and infrastructure will not be affected. Pulsefire has a slow spread-rate over unliving things, but its effects on the living are instant. Once in contact with the element, pulsefire quickly consumes the living body and spirit until it is turned to ash. Putting pulsefire out over unliving things is relatively easy, but once pulsefire has touched the living, there's little to no chance of making it out in one piece.

All through this, you must still remember your goal — it is not to stay in Scorpion's Bend, or even fight the Bouldersnakes, but to find the orb... and that means finding Welford Branson. How will you convince him to give you the orb, when all signs point to him not even knowing what it is, or what it has done? That is what you must decide... if you survive the Bouldersnakes in one piece, of course.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place ICly right after the end of the NPC thread.

• The voting for how to get the orb is now open! Please head HERE to submit your idea for how the team should proceed to get the orb, or +1 others’ ideas.

• The conclusion of the mission and the return to the station will be posted on February 13.

• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them HERE.

• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪

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▶ NAV

Comments

[coordination]

[ He takes it without arguing (though he looks like he wants to, because he's not that cold still! he feels it, it's still settling in, but Blue was just shaking like a leaf!), though when he drapes it over his own shoulders, the blankets aren't big enough to completely cover them both without some exposure. Not when they're still sitting the way they are, anyway. Hmm what can be done here haha. ]

I'm not shocked to hear that. This whole experience will surely have us on higher alert about everything moving forward. [ Because to go all that time not even realizing themselves that they weren't properly eating... ]

We'll find him, though. We can't afford not to.

yelena, erik. (cw: stab wound)

[naloxone]

[ marta remembers when she was twelve years old, and she'd fallen off of a tree and broken her arm. it had been the most painful thing she'd ever experienced, but she knows that part of what exacerbated the pain had been the initial utter shock and the subsequent fear of it happening at all. one second she was in the air, reaching for an apple, and the next she was on the ground screaming through tears while her sister cried at her feet in panic.

getting stabbed in the liver? so, so much more painful. and bloody. but it's still not the most blood she's ever seen (but that's a different trauma story for a different day), though it's definitely the most of hers she's ever had to contend with and somehow it is both better and worse.

yelena's done a great job getting her stabilized, so much so that she's fairly certain she's no longer in any immediate danger (despite how it might look), but there's really only so much basic first aid can do in this case. with the fight seeming to die down within the town there'd been the opportunity to get further help, something a little more substantial... if not a little unconventional. ]

[firstroar]

[Blue hums a soft sound. it's true, they have little choice; no one will be coming to save them should they falter. it doesn't make sense, though...there's three of these orbs in the Ximilia...none of them would assist in pulling its kin and everyone else back with it?

he sighs, tilting his head to rest it against Yzak's, a hand fishing around for his.]

[cheapbastard]

( billy doesn't jump, he doesn't startle but he does curse loudly when he realizes what's happening. he sees the bouldersnake, then daisy and then the bouldersnake's mangled arm.

it sets his teeth on edge, seeing that power in action but at least it had been used on someone who deserved it.

because surely he didn't deserve it. still, he doesn't say thank you or anything like that. )

Never said I was smart. ( he is but he can fuck up a lot too. ) I had it under control.

[cheapbastard]

Had to rip up a few pews so I'm sure I'm gonna end up being struck down at some point but whatever. I'm cold.

( he nods over at the fire that he's got going near the front of the church. he makes his way over there and sits on the edge of the stage, blowing in his hands. )

Be a cool way to go. Smote down by some fuckin' deity.

—MARTA.

[attackbrows]

[It was the dead of night. Things have settled down for now inside of the clinic. The crew have run themselves ragged up until this point. This is the calm before the rest of the storm. Now would be a good time as any to check on the rest of the crew members. The Doctor quietly steps up onto the wooden porch and through the doors of McCoy’s clinic.

It’s cold.

There are hardly any sources of heat save for a few bonfires trying to keep the crew members warm. The body temperature of a Time Lord naturally runs frigid but he can take on the cooler temperatures. Others? Not so much.

Say for the person in question: Marta Cabrera. Small. Human. Very human. He hasn’t forgotten about her. The girl who asked about the stars. He continues to walk further inside the clinic until he stops, finally spotting her.]

[coordination]

It's just a matter of what's going to happen when we do. [ There's a tenseness in his voice when he says that, because Yzak himself doesn't know how this is going to end. Doesn't even know what he's going to want to do when they come face to face with making choices. He never does, though, does he? He just has to strive to make what he thinks, hopes, is the right, the best decision. For himself. For his team. For his friends. Even for this victim living in this painful, illusionary denial all this time. ] And what exactly the nature of this orb is.

[ Yzak's hand is easy enough to find, still very warm compared to Blue's. ]

The Darkling || Grishaverse

[cruelyethuman]

Part I. dreaming is over

2.0 - foraging and finding shelter

[The town transforms before his eyes, the words echoing through his head, ringing as a warning before the town dies. Wilting like flowers before the frost, the wood warps and the tent vanishes. The hat on his head, protecting him from the worst of the heat from the twin suns and the layers of fabric that has swathed him for weeks - it leaves and he stands in under the desert sun, eyes wide and mouth turn down in a frown as all life bleeds out of Scorpion's Bend.

Night will get bitterly cold, as the warmth gathered in the sand leeches in to the dark night and he walks back in to town. Down the desolate and empty main street, eyes on the debilitated buildings that only yesterday housed so many people.

It takes hours, before he's found enough snakes. Enough firewood and the moons are already rising as he drags a moldy madras down rickety stairs.]

You can help, instead of just watching me.

Part II. Wake-up call

4.0 - enhanced interrogation

[The chaos spills in to the streets, as the Bouldersnakes roar through. Fast and hard, on horseback and with their weapons out. Shouting to each other as they rummage through every house, every building, every room.

And they're not being careful.

They know about the orb- somehow and the Darkling vanishes in to the deep shadows of his own making, watching them go through their messy business. Watches who obeys and who scowls at the barked orders. His black eyes never leaving the group, watching them as they scatter and tailing after the ones who snap to attention too fast. Who are too eager to please, who all but stumble over their own feet to follow orders given and who doesn't seem to think for themselves.

The flow of power between the members of the group is as easy to read as the current in a river, disrupted by rocks and a boy, curious and longing, stirring the water with a stick.

One of the Bouldersnakes go off by himself, his four arms waving in the air as he mutters to himself and as soon as they're out of sight, the Darkling gathers the shadows - calls to them from every dark building, from the mines and from the dead space beyond the stars - and it comes, like it always does, pooling around his feet and his fingers flick in the direction of the bandit.

Thick ropes of shadows wind themselves around the man's arms, pinning them to his side as the Darkling steps forward.]

Be quiet, or I will suffocate you and try again with your friend.

5.0 - fight me for it

[Surviving, there is nothing but this. To find water, to find the orb. The days pass in a blur of scorching sunlight and freezing nights until the Bouldersnakes make their move.

Invading the ruins of a lost town, howling like animals and shooting blue fire- he sees wolf-like creature burst in to flame, consumed in a second, leaving nothing but ash behind - and he moves with them. Running behind buildings, crouching for cover behind overturned and rotting barrels and every once in a while, thunder booms across the cloudless sky.

Shadows leap at his fingertips, and when the Cut fails - a second of doubt, of bone-rattling fear- before he slams his hands together, smothering the man with a thick blanket of darkness as he moves in, knife in hand and stabs it in to the center of the man's chest. The blood runs hot and wet over his hand.

A sword of some kind gets him in the shoulder, his own blood mixing with the filth and the grime and whatever ran through the veins of the bandits, drenching his shirt until it sticks to his chest.

Always moving, keeping an eye out for- talent. To lend a hand, to block a shot of pulsefire with a wall of shadows and to put out anyone unlucky enough to get hit with the blue fire by covering them with his darkness. They run vicious, almost as if they have a mind of their own (merzost sings in his blood, of how easy it would be... to create) and he Cuts.

The thin line of his shadow blade slicing through arms and legs, heads rolling and the blood of his victims streak across his face, it drips from his hands as he stands, panting and with his hands stretched out before him-]

Say something!

[firstroar]

[Blue's fingers thread between Yzak's, more comfortably practiced in this. his own hand is cold, yes, but it warms gradually with this. he gives Yzak's hand a gentle squeeze, as much a response in the affirmative as a consolation to that ever-active brain of his going over these unknowns and what contingencies they can even make.]

With a little more time...we will find the way. As we have before.

Rest a little for now, though.

2.0

[morethan084]

[Daisy had quickly changed into her suit knowing the very real possibility that things could get worse at any moment, but it's not exactly built to keep her warm in the cold desert night.

She's just stepping into the house behind someone when she hears a familiar voice call out to the fellow Orber for help.]

I got it.

[Daisy steps around them and meets Aleksander halfway up the stairs to take the plaid fabric from him.]

Be careful coming down.

[morethan084]

[Checking to see how many rounds are left in the gun, Daisy looks down at the unconscious Bouldersnake before her eyes land back on Billy. Exhausted and hungry, Daisy has to bite back a snarky response when he tells her he had it under control.]

Doesn't hurt to team up anyway.

[Making sure the safety is on, Daisy holds the gun out to him as some sort peace offering.]

There's five rounds left.

5ish

[xwing]

[ a blade of green light spins past the darkling, and luke's slight form follows, darting past the pouring darkness nearly too quickly to see. the lightsaber neatly beheads one of the bandits before being recalled to luke's hand as he leaps, booted foot slamming into another's face, bearing the figure all the way down into the dirt. he ducks beneath cutting black tendril, weaving between threads of the darkness like it's a dance, and flings out his hand, throwing figures into the air that weren't caught by kirigan's powers.

he spins into a defensive position, then, lightsaber held across his chest, small form tensed and ready to move again and radiating dread and warning: don't engage. run away, bouldersnakes, and perhaps you'll live to fight another day. ]

Is that your blood? [ he calls back to the other man, not sparing him a glance as he tilts his head to listen for movement from other bandits in the area. ]

Newton Geiszler | Pacific Rim

[groupiedrifter]

I. THE DREAM DEFERRED

[Well, at least his birthday was before this mess, huh?

Still, it sucks, and he's a bit helpless when he watches the townspeople crumble away to dust. He'd hung out with a lot of them, y'know? He'd worked in the saloon and visited sindown and had a great time with the rowdiest of the bunch, even if they weren't... necessarily real. So it's easy to fall into a funk like so many others — even if his stomach is telling him to snap out of it and get to work. The best he can really do right now for those around him is to put his biological studies to the test: instruct on what insects and creatures are likely safe to eat (read: not poisonous and about to murder you) and how to find the appropriate wells of water beneath the soil.

He's tired, though, like the rest of 'em. Tired and annoyed and irritable and nervous about what happens next. They gotta find that Welford Branson guy, but Newt's... not helpful there. He'll have to leave it to the pros.

So he can be found in the saloon instead, quietly pecking at the half of the ivory keys left on the piano; it makes an ugly, distorted sound, the strings inside aged and in poor condition. The noise seems to weaken his resolve for just that moment, his expression falling into something hopeless.

When night falls, he goes to wherever the others have decided to hole up and sleep for the meantime. The air's gone terribly cold, and even with the blankets he's managed to scrounge from different places (and curtains, as the coarse material he's draped in implies) don't keep away the cold as much as anyone'd like. He ends up curled on the floor of the room some have started slumbering in, shivering stubbornly under his covers. Now's really not the time to bitch and moan, even if he would absolutely like to.

His stomach does it for him, though. The gurgling is loud and obvious, even if he doesn't say a peep in reaction.

He hates the cold so fucking much, man.

Irritability, thy name is Geiszler.

As he finally lulls into a sleep, things can only get worse from here. He knows it, dreads it, but there's no point in trying to side-step it; the memoryless nightmares strike him hard and fast, as they especially love to when there's a lot of strain and stress and mess in his head. He lays there twitching, a low moan of someone afraid leaving his curled up figure. If one listens, they may hear five little words:]


Just leave me alone, please.


II. YOUR WAKE UP CALL

[The attack is fast and ugly, but Newt was fortunate enough to be on the other side of the town. The danger's been mostly intercepted, and it gives him time to think. Think, think, think. His brain is a good one, it's a powerful one, it's awesome for situations where people need back-up. He's great back-up. And such a peptalk to himself is just what he needs before he gets to work. You don't have long he thinks. He grabs his suitcase lab, opens it up and starts putting everything on an old table in the saloon that he'd sat at many times before. He's got (1) sample to use — a knife imbued with pulsefire, dropped and discarded in a shuffle he wasn't apart of.

It shouldn't take him too long, he thinks, to make something out of this.

It's just chemical compounds, after all. Everything is made of something that can be counteracted. And that's just what people will find if they're here to defend the saloon or to check in on any survivors: Newton hunched over the table, rambling maniacally as the glow of the pulsefire illuminates his face. His gloves go up to his elbows, and he handles the energy with the utmost caution. Bits of old piano wire, mechanical pieces from discarded machines, all sorts of bits and bobs from the upstairs clocks left abandoned, they're taken apart and scavenged for pieces. Smeared with soot and running on fumes, Newt snaps urgently:]

Don't interrupt me right now! I got a flow! Just - just keep them away.

III. GUINEA PIG (CLOSED TO ITACHI)

[And eventually, near the last act of the waging battle against the Bouldersnakes -

He messages Itachi.]

I need your help with something.
Come to the saloon ASAP.

[The ninja may or may not be surprised at the mad scientist aesthetic he's got going on, hair unkempt and tie completely abandoned, oil and grease from his creations staining the front of his usually white shirt. He looks... a bit unhinged, but with it there's confidence.]

If it isn't my fire extinguisher! You ready to take some insta-death out of the equation?

IV. THE NEWTRILIZER | CW: violence

[After the Newtilizer is officially posted about, he'll make a point to start distributing where he can. The fight's already been going for a while, and time's against them. So with that in mind, he equips whoever is around him first, then stuffs his creations into a duffel that he slings around his shoulder before heading out into the battleground. He says with lingering mania:]

If you want something done, don't be a puss; do it yourself.

[He's gonna be bringing the supplies to you guys.

And for the most part, he's learned to make his way around a tense situation without getting shot, maimed, blown up, and so forth. Maybe being little and low to the ground helps? Yeah, that's totally it. Somewhere in his travels, he finally gets unlucky:

"What've we got here?"

He ends up grabbed by the back of his shirt like a disobedient pup, hoisted up off the ground effortlessly. His legs kick and flail and he reaches up to try and disentangle his shirt from the bandit's iron grip; the dude is huge, scales covering his arms and legs, his four eyes sharp and full of amusement. "Got something for me, little fella? Don't mind if I do-" He grabs Newton's duffel, and Newt panics, grabbing it to pull back to him. Panic and fear are at war with hungry, tired outrage, and he hollers:]

Get off me, you oversized prick-!

[And then proceeds to bite the wrist playing tug of war with him hard. It awards him being unceremoniously dropped to the floor, and he staggers and runs as hard and fast as he can with the duffel hugged to his chest. The scaly bandit, taller than Rosinante or Yamato, steps toward him with newfound disgust in his eyes. "You better not have any diseases, you filthy little desert rat," he growls, drawing a pistol imbued with pulsefire from his thigh holster.

Newt doesn't look back as the bandit aims his weapon carefully at the back fleeing from him. But the distressed look on Newt's face as he tries to get away says he figures he might get taken out trying.]

1!

[xwing]

Excretions, Megatron? Really? [ he sounds like he's a heartbeat away from laughter, though, patting the tank fondly as he settles back against the outside of his cabin compartment. ] I hadn't planned to lick you, but now I'm considering it. [ he is not considering it and it's pretty obvious from his tone, but still.

he draws his knees up, looping his arms loosely around his thighs and trying very hard not to shiver. he's been surviving on, uh, less than he probably should have, considering--he has advantages in the force and being accustomed to lean times--and it's finally taking its toll. he's having trouble sleeping, trouble regulating his body heat, trouble with a lot of things. they need to get this finished, and soon, for everyone's sakes. ] Thanks for this, by the way. I know you're not really comfortable with it.

[coordination]

[ Find the way. Of course we'll find the way, Yzak thinks back, somewhat placated by the touch that he's likewise getting a little more used to. There's still that beat of hesitancy that can't be helped, but if one were hyperfocused on it, it doesn't last as long, not as long as it did a few weeks prior.

That and, well, once Blue does take his hand... with the eye he can see out of he shoots a quick look down, and then straight at Blue. ]

What the fuck why are you still this cold!?

[ He blurts that out despite knowing very well why, he just can't help himself from opening his big mouth. ]

[firstroar]

[the outburst, tied to that vexed feeling behind it, startles Blue a little, and he sits back a bit, double-blinking.

after a beat, he smiles, both amused and apologetic.]

I'm sorry, Yzak... If it helps, it isn't bothering me so much right now.

—GWEN.

[attackbrows]

[The two are in the middle of a heated scuffle with four of the bandits. While the Doctor and Gwen are more than capable of running, it's not going to do anything when the bandits have a horse advantage on them. And neither of them don't have a proper read on their particular skillsets. The first time Gwen ever met the Doctor was when he nearly burnt the entire station kitchen down.

One of the bandits aims at the two of them. Quick on his heels, the Doctor uses his sonic sunglasses to short-circuit the gun’s recoil, having the pulsefire miss them.]

Time to regroup, 10-54!

[flickerandfade]

It has been an emotionally charged day, I grant you.

[ He's still gonna be huffy about his bodily autonomy, thank you. ]

Spider-Woman. An interesting title. I assume because you excrete webbing like an arachnid?

[ A beat. ]

I am overly warm, a touch uncomfortable. I don't see how I can help you with shade, though in any case...?

[flickerandfade]

Correct.

[ The holoform steps forward begins to urge her upwards onto the deck of the tank. It's strange--the older man seems to have the strength to easily handle her weight, though his touch is as gentle as ever. Once she seems to be safely set somewhere she won't slip off, the holoform gently fizzles away. ]

Hold on to something.

[ Or you know climb into the hatch. He's not a cop. The tank's engine revs and the vehicle begins to move at a fair clip for the edge of the town. ]

Re: 1!

[flickerandfade]

Do not lick me.

[ He sounds positively disgusted by the idea, thank you. He's learning to be better about organics but he's not over all of his prejudices, unfortunately. The engine beneath Luke rumbles onwards, and Luke can no doubt feel a welcome updraft of warmth as it leeches through the hatchways covering the access. ]

The mission would be in considerable difficulties if any of you died of something as simple as freezing to death.

[ A pause. ]

Have you been handling the heat well?

[construing]

[ were it up to gwen, she would happily haul out an oven for the doctor to smoke everyone out. unfortunately, life is never simple, but it can be fun. hooded and masked once more, gwen take in the bandits. to someone who has never encountered a superhero, gwen looks exactly like a slender, petite girl playing some weird type of dress-up. not exactly a threat.

she loves proving people wrong.

and seizing the brief confusion that followed the doctor's preemptive strike, gwen sprints forward.

first thing: she's fast. she dashes between two of the bandits, ducking at just the right moment to miss a rifle butt to the head.

second thing: the spiderwebs on her suit aren't merely decoration. crossing her arms in front of her, gwen fires two web-lines. with twin thwips!, each snags one horse's bridle.

third thing: she's strong. twisting around, she digs her heels into the ground. the horses are immediately brought around, and though she does her best to not hurt the animals, it's a wild, bucking time for the riders.

and fourth: she's maybe a little insane. ]

Look alive, Mr. River!

[ gwen leaps atop the horse that nearly succeeded in throwing its rider and completes the task for it. somehow, she manages to urge the horse into a gallop back toward the doctor. she grabs him like he weighs as much as a doll and plops him on the saddle behind her.

the entire event is over in seconds and now they have three (3) newly pissed off bandits ahorse and one (1) really pissed off bandit on foot following after them. good regroup. ]

[chrysology]

[It isn't like Ed is the tallest, so it isn't so difficult for him to be overwhelmed with something like this. Or like this is the first time, given his prior experience with the other mission, where he and Darkling and Peter had dealt with that one room filling up with water. But at least he had managed to get them out of that in time then.

Ed instinctively grips at Rosinate's hand and breaths out huge gulps of air in relief even as he coughs some of the sand up, before he glances and notes the other sinking too.]

Eh? Rosinate, now you're -- ??

Zari Tarazi | Legends of Tomorrow

[catchatting]

1.0
It's dark and cold and everything is gross. Zari is not having a good time at all right now and while it's not exactly shocking to realize that the people aren't real, seeing that she's been sleeping, eating and bathing with bugs and vermin is pushing her a little past her limit.

Her skirts are thankfully voluminous enough that she manages to rip open the side seam and make the world's most okay-est blanket and leaving her in just a single layer of her underskirt. Now it's just a matter of finding someplace clean to sleep and maybe some willing body heat to be shared for the night, so she walks carefully through the dark streets of the town, looking for a familiar or even just friendly face.

"Okay, I am not sleeping on the dirt."

2.0
As much as Zari is not a fan of walking into danger, she knows that with her powers she does have a better chance of keeping herself alive than some of the others, so she walks carefully out of town in only her chemise and a pair of lazy bloomers because it's hot as hell during the day and she doesn't need all of her clothes soaked in sweat when the temperature changes again. She doesn't go far and there are others around her within sight, so she figures the least they can all do is look for food or water or some sort of clue.

What she doesn't expect is a giant whale.

The ground shakes, sand sifting below her feet and she realizes too late that she's not the only one who's too close to this massive displacement of sand that's now moving more like water.

"Because we needed to get dirtier?!" She does the only thing she can think to do and starts to swim against the current of sand.

4.0
Being a fighter isn't really Zari's main skill. She knows she's a valued member of the Legends back home, but fighting isn't really what she brings to the table unless the fighting comes to her. Well, today, the fighting is coming to her in a big way and she knows what to do.

Some of the orbers are great fighters and she knows it, but plenty of them aren't and given how her powers work, Zari's aim is to stick closer to people who need extra cover from a powerful gust of wind. Any shots she sees fired at her teammates will be deflected, debris that may fall from the rickety buildings will be caught and if there's a chance she can knock one of the Bouldersnakes over or knock their weapons away and into the hands of an orber, she will take it.

Zari isn't throwing punches or spilling blood in this battle, but she's coming alive in a way few have seen her, blasting gusts of wind and staring down the enemy without fear. She puts herself between her teammates and the dangers coming for them and as the fighting goes on, she finds herself closer to the action until she's watching the backs of those fighting, too.

"Get away from my friends, you ugly creeps!"

wildcard
[ lmk if you want something else! ]

[coordination]

[ Yzak regards him for a long moment, regards their circumstances, and already that ripple of awkwardness runs through him. Is he ever not going to make things like this weird?

(no probably not) ]

You're hardly going to be able to rest like that! [ And that would mean Yzak wouldn't be able to either. So this is a mutually beneficial idea, he thinks as he gives Blue's hand a gentle tug. ] C-come here. Closer.

[ Much closer. Pulling his own legs in, Yzak lets go of that hand so he can shift and slip his own around Blue's waist and urge him to turn in closer to him, while the other reaches out around Blue's shoulders to grab for the other ends of those doubled up blankets. He leans in close when he does so, flushing when he feels their noses touch, and Blue can probably hear how thickly he swallows when he pulls the coverings back so he can properly get them wrapped up well enough to better trap in their body heat.

He'd probably be able to do this with less of a fuss were it anyone else (only less of a fuss, there'd always be a fuss), but because it's Blue who he already knows this intimately (?? kinda), every little thing feels that much stronger, warmer, different and new. Like every unsure but exciting new step down an unknown but just as exciting road.

Luckily for Blue, Yzak is naturally warm so he can serve as a Coordinator space heater. ]

Peter Quill

[spacedisaster]

[ An open thread and some closed starters below! If you'd like to do anything specific, please feel free to send me a PM, contact me on Lylith, or hit me up on Peter's ooc plotting post.